FOOD ALLERGIES HAVE BEEN RISING SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES. WHEREAS MOST FOOD ALLERGIES ARE OUTGROWN, ONLY 10% AND 20 % OF THOSE WITH TREE NUT AND PEANUT ALLERGY WILL OUTGROW IT. THE ONLY RECOURSE OF AN ALLERGIC PATIENT IS AVOIDANCE. ONE COMPLICATING FACTOR IS THAT PEOPLE WITH PEANUT AND TREE NUT ALLERGY ARE ALSO OFTEN ALLERGIC TO OTHER NUTS AND SEEDS. THEREFORE, DUE TO THE LACK OF RELIABLE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, ALLERGISTS OFTEN ADVISE A PEANUT OR TREE NUT ALLERGIC PATIENT TO AVOID ALL NUTS. THE GOLD STANDARD FOR DIAGNOSIS IS DOUBLE BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED FOOD CHALLENGE (DBPCFC), BUT THIS PROCEDURE IS LENGTHY, LABORIOUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO PERFORM EVEN IN A HOSPITAL SETTING. FOR YEARS DOCTORS HAVE WANTED TO HAVE AN UNAMBIGUOUS TEST THAT WOULD OBVIATE ANY TYPE OF ORAL FOOD CHALLENGE (OFC). WHILE SKIN PRICK TEST, ALLERGEN-SPECIFIC IGE MEASUREMENT SUCH AS (I.E.IMMUNOCAP) AND COMPONENT RESOLVED-DIAGNOSIS MEASURE SENSITIVITY (PRESENCE OF IGE IN THE ABSENCE OF CLINICAL REACTIVITY) AND CAN ASSIST IN DIAGNOSIS, NONE ARE INDEPENDENTLY OR COMPLETELY RELIABLE. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THERE ARE COMBINATIONS OF SPECIFIC IGE AND OR IGG4-BINDING PEPTIDES (EPITOPES), OR COMBINATIONS OF PEPTIDES WITH INTACT ALLERGENS THAT ARE COMPLETELY DIAGNOSTIC OF AN ALLERGIC REACTION. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AN IGE AND IGG4 BASED, COMPLETELY RELIABLE IN VITRO ASSAY FOR PEANUT/TREE NUT ALLERGY. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IGE AND IGG4 EPITOPES WILL BE IDENTIFIED USING PROTEIN AND CUSTOM-MADE PEPTIDE MICROCHIP ARRAYS AND CLINICALLY-CHARACTERIZED SERA. WE WILL USE A COMBINATION OF PEPTIDE AND INTACT ALLERGENS TO DEVELOP AND TEST A NEW AND IMPROVEDMICROCHIP ASSAY FOR IMMEDIATE COMMERCIALIZATION.